Baker fraternity’s tax bill less than reported

Baker University's Delta Tau Delta fraternity was not nearly $2,700 behind on its 2006 taxes, as originally reported by Douglas County, but actually owed about $700.

Bob Andrews, the chapter's adviser, said he'd only recently learned that chapter's alumni treasurer had contacted the county in July to pay what was still due, but somehow was given the wrong amount. The amount that the chapter thought was due was paid at that time.

No one knew about the additional amount due until the county published its list of overdue property taxes earlier this month. Stacy Kurtz, Douglas County director of taxation and accounting, said that there was a miscommunication between her office and the fraternity that resulted in the wrong amount being paid.

Kurtz said the county's taxation software doesn't allow for portions of taxes to be posted to the system, which accounts for why the county's past-due taxes notice said that the fraternity owed more in taxes than it actually did.